Technologically Stinted
by 4thFromTheFurnace
Summary: Sherry isn't bad with technology, she's just...challenged.  This looks like a job for...Superma-wait, Bruno?


"Curse this freakin' piece of junk to the depths of the freakin' abyss!" Her fist slammed indignantly on the large keyboard, initiating a series of whoops and beeps and whistles from the abused machine. She really hated this. She loathed it with a fiery burning passion. Technology was NOT her forte. Not one bit. All she wanted to do was find the directions to a decent repair shop.

Of course, some little toad just had to decide to crash into her D-Wheel with his sad hunk of metal he called a car. Now she was the one that had to go get her D-Wheel fixed. Thus, this machine was the only one readily available to her. Otherwise, she'd probably have to break in somewhere again. The large system of computers was, albeit a little intimidating, the most useless pile of buttons and wires she had ever seen.

Nevertheless, she cursed at the screen and continued on her venture. Surely there had to be a halfway decent repair shop that would be worthy enough to fix her D-Wheel without causing more problems. Anyone else wasn't worth paying the money to. Either way, the small mainframe appeared to have a distaste for her as well, and refused to cooperate, or so she would say. As was established long ago, some sort of grudge had arisen between her and technology, mostly due to the fact that she never felt the need to spend time learning how to figure it out. There were so many better things to do.

A frustratedly persistent growl rose from her throat, followed by another string of rather crude insults thrown at the uncompliant computer screen. Her hands clenched so hard that her long nails scraped painfully into her palm. She was so distracted, she didn't even hear him come in.

"Having trouble?"

She whipped around hastily, her blonde hair flailing with the motion. Her eyes burned with a disdainful aggravation, her voice sour with a hint of embarrassment at being caught, "What are YOU doing here?"

He gave a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes, "Sherry, I'm staying here, or were you too hasty to even notice?"

The young man stood in the doorway, studying her for a few moments, "I would ask you what YOU were doing here, but I ran into Yusei and he told me what was going on."

Sherry's tongue rubbed over her back teeth as she fiddled with her hair with one hand, trying to act casual, "So, where is Yusei anyway? I thought I'd at least be entertained by my host until my stay is over."

Stay? Entertained? He shook his head and took a deep breath. Man, who did this woman think she was? First, she comes waltzing in on a D-Wheel with a slight dent in the fender then has the gull to-

"So, uh, Buster, was it now? You wanna help me with this overgrown toaster?"

His eyes kept on her, a dull look on his face as his lips pressed together, "It's Bruno, and if it means that you get to leave sooner, then fine, I'll help you."

Bruno strode closer to her, putting a little pressure on her side with his arm. She complied and backed out of the way as Bruno settled into his spot at the computer. His fingers clacked against the keys rapidly, as though his fingers knew in advance exactly what to do. Other than that, there was no other sounds in the garage, and Sherry found it difficult to keep her mind from wandering.

It was Bruno's voice that finally broke the silence, "Hey, so what happened?"

The blonde's attention held on the screen as the crimson-embroidered error messages began to disappear, one by one. The young man's voice jolted her back into reality. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "Let's just say that some drivers have no respect for Riding Duelists. So, after that little swine destroyed my D-Wheel, that snotty blond punk found me off-road and I followed him here so I could get directions for a decent repair shop."

Bruno stifled a snort, more astounded with every passing moment in her presence, "Jack found you?"

She rolled her eyes in response, "That oversized stuffed turkey muttered something about finally having some amusement. He should be glad that pretty face of his is still attached, and even more glad about-"

A half-cough, half-snort, interrupted her musings. It seemed all that Bruno could do to keep from laughing, yet he tried to straighten himself and give her a reprimanding look, which could hardly be taken seriously because of the smirk tugging at the side of his mouth. She glowered at him for a moment before sighing and giving a shrug, "Anyway, Yusei said I stay as long as I'd like-"

At this, Bruno laughed, "Yusei would never say that."

Her hands clenched as she rapped a fist against his head, "Silence, idiot! Why wouldn't he?"

The mechanic groaned, rubbing his sore head and letting out a light growl, "Because. Do you have any idea what Aki would do to him if Yusei let you stay? Yusei wouldn't be stupid enough to put himself in that situation, no matter how friendly or kind he is." his voice took a hint of a mocking tone at his last words.

The girl sniffed, but remained silent for a while. As said before, who did this woman think she was? She had the gull to come to Yusei's house to beg to use the computer to find a DECENT repair shop while standing in the middle of Yusei's working garage. That woman was a piece of work, Bruno could give her that.

Once again, the only thing that could be heard was the rapid movement of Bruno's fingertips along the keyboard. After another quick moment, the boy backed away from the computer and turned his eyes to her, "Alright, it's fixed. What do you need, Sherry?"

A sharp tingle swept up Sherry's spine at the sound of her name. What gave him the right to call her by her name? She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing over her forehead, "I require directions to a decent repair shop." she repeated herself, almost as if it was rehearsed.

At this, Bruno bit back another laugh and stepped away from the computer. Her confusion was as evident on her face as a pair of eyebrows on Ushio. He turned to her, somehow maintaining a serious expression, and offered, "If you're looking for a decent repair shop, I can give you directions easily without using the computer."

Rage built up inside her. Here, she had spent all of ten minutes frustrating herself over the computer while that vile know-it-all little snot knew the whole time! Her frown engraved itself on her face as if it was permanantly stuck there. He could tell she was breathing heavily, trying her best to remain calm.

"Alright, Brutus, where's this shop?"

He cleared his throat and corrected her again, "It's Bruno. Now-you have to close your eyes."

"What?" she snarled, incredulous.

"Just close your eyes."

Finally she complied. Bruno waved his hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peeking before continuing, "Now, turn around."

Sulking, she did as she was told, albeit begrudgingly. By this time, Bruno didn't even bother to hide his mischevious grin, "Okay, take three steps forward."

When she did, she inclined her head slightly, waiting for his instructions. Bruno bit his lip hard, trying with all his might to remain serious, "You can open your eyes."

The blonde opened her eyes unsurprisingly to Yusei's garage, which she had been standing in the entire time. The young male extended his arms dramatically, "Ta-Da!"

As her face began to turn red, her eyes boiling with rage and her body going rigid, the man flinched and held up his hands defensively, "Just let me explain. I don't see why you have to go out of your way. You're already here, why don't I fix it?"

"You?" her dark voice was skeptical. He nodded, "Yeah. It's not that bad. If you go anywhere else, you'll just be spending money."

She seemed to contemplate this for a little while before she snarkily relented, "Very well, but if I find so much as a scratch, a malfuction, or even a missing screw, I'll-"

"I know." he finished for her. Frankly, he knew what she could do, and it was admirable, in a twisted violent sort of way. He didn't remember much from their less then pleasant tangle at the Security Building, only that it had become tiring to dodge her so much. True, it was admirable, but it was such a stinking pain! The woman's voice could be smooth and aristocratic when she wanted to be calm, but when provoked, the only think faster than the blonde's fists and kicks was her mouth. He almost regarded it with a bit of attraction, as long as it wasn't aimed at him.

As Bruno retrieved a small toolbox and knelt beside her machine, which was sitting near the middle of the garage, he remained absorbed in his thoughts. However, one couldn't help but notice the strange and almost disturbing glimmer in his eyes when he began to work on her dueling machine.

"So where's...Mizo-gu-chi?" he finally asked, struggling a bit to remember and pronounce the name of her butler. She leaned casually against her D-Wheel, examining her nails, "He doesn't know I'm here. I needed to get out and ride for a little while, no distractions."

Bruno nodded, understanding to an extent. And no sooner had he begun talking, did his concentration shift completely to the work at hand, though not completely unaware of the young woman beside him and how she fully knew that she was in his way and upsetting his work. He was beginning to come to grips with the fact that he would never understand women.

As he worked his tools around the fender, the blue-haired male glanced up at her for a moment, observing her bored and slightly annoyed expression as well as her cascading blonde hair that was beginning to tangle from being in her helmet. Her expensive leather riding outfit didn't go unnoticed either, but Bruno didn't let on to care too much.

His eyes returned dutifully to his work as he tightened a nearby screw, "Hey, can you hand me that wrench?"

Sherry stared at him for a few moments, an expressionless look on her face. Finally, she bent down and picked up a wrench from the rusty red toolbox and placed it firmly in his hands.

It was almost funny. She had seemed so intimidating at first, and she seemed to enjoy that. Yet, somehow, after that day at the Security Building, she didn't seem like that big of a deal anymore. He could tell that the young woman was irked at how he was teasing her. She loved to be in control, and he was toying around with her like a dog chasing a bone tied to a string and pole on his back. He could tell she hated that. But he enjoyed it. It was almost attractive, especially with her indignant attitude of defeat.

"Hey, you're lucky." Her tone of voice was quiet, and he could tell she was trying not to express any emotion. His slate silver eyes shifted to look at her, wondering what exactly she meant. Her face was turned away, her bangs hanging over her face. A slight confused frown tugged at his lips as he returned his eyes to his work. After a moment, she elaborated, "They say you don't remember anything."

The mechanic froze, his hand clenching over the wrench it held. His serious frown deepened, and his tone lowered, growing more somber, "Even so..."

His hands suddenly began their work once more, his eyes fixed on the D-Wheel before him, "I would rather have those memories. Even if my life is nothing but horrible times and tragedies, those awful memories still come with the good ones, you know? I know I don't remember anything before they found me, but no matter what happens, I wouldn't trade the memories I have of Yusei and the others for anything. I wouldn't trade the memories of the WRGP or the people we've met through it, and I wouldn't trade the memories I have of you trying to kill me." he let out a low chuckle and continued, "No matter what terrible stuff happens, without those memories, I wouldn't be the same person I am today, and neither would you, Sherry."

Her eyes transfixed themselves on him in slight wonder. What could this oversized goof be saying?

After a few moments of silence, he sighed, "Look, I know what happened to your parents, and I'm really sorry, but think about what you have now. You have a loyal butler by your side, you have friends that are ready and willing to help you, and you have the memories of your life and your parents before they died. Would you give that up?"

Bruno turned to look at her, a genuine smile on his face, "To be honest, Sherry, I'd say you're truly blessed."

Sherry's breath hitched in her throat. What was it about him that stirred her up so much? Why had he helped her after she had tried to kill him?

_"Because we're both searching for the truth."_

She shook her head slightly, trying to get his voice out of her brain.

Bruno took a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped it over his neck and forehead as the sweat began to dampen his azure hair. His eyes stole a glance at her only to find her stealing a disdainful glance at him before returning to her pout. After that, though, she didn't seem to want to cause too much more trouble. The girl remained still and silent, thoughtful, though somewhat fidgety and impatient. Her companion leaned back on his knees finally, his eyes scanning his work to make sure it held up to parr. He leaned forward again, carefully scrutinizing the entirety of the D-Wheel's fender, mentally making sure that everything would continue to function properly. A couple moments passed, and it almost looked as though he was admiring his handiwork, his mechanical obsession barely hidden on his face.

After a few minutes, the girl exhaled, "Um...I, uh...I'm...um...sor-oh forget it!" she huffed.

His blank eyes steadied on her. He wiped his hands on the handkerchief and tossed it on the toolbox, a smirk breaking onto his face. Her eyes found the floor as she tried to continue, "Thank you, Bobby. I appreciate it."

This time, Bruno shook his head, neglecting to correct her on his name, "It was nothing, really. Just a little fix."

He stood to meet her at eye level(more or less, considering his towering height), his eyes studying her and waiting for her to continue. The girl bit the inside of her cheek and mumbled, "How much do I owe you?"

The blue-haired young man glanced around, then stared at the ground, stroking his chin as his eyes darted back and forth as if to calculate. Suddenly, he established eye contact once more, scanning her with his eyes for the briefest of moments. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before any words could come out, he lunged forward, his hands grasping her arms tightly for balance as a short moment of firm, lip-locking, cootie-bearing payment was exchanged. Bruno pulled away casually and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before turning and swaggering over to the steps, "That should do fine, for now. Next time, call if you have any more trouble."

With that, he pushed a button that opened the garage door that signaled the end to this particular technical rendezvous, a silent suggestion that she should go home. He started up the steps, giving a short wave over his shoulder without turning to face her.


End file.
